When most people think of
building in a way that's better for the environment, they think of a house
that's more expensive than the average home. Solar panelsand better insulation make for higher
costs during building, even though they pay off in the long term. But if you
want a house that's truly green, there are ways to build even more cheaply than
you would if you were building a traditional house.

Use Natural and Recycled
Materials

For a truly Green Passive Solar Home, consider using natural, local or
recycled materials as the main ingredient in your building. Earth and straw are
building materials that have been used in homes for thousands of years. They
are cheap and readily available locally almost anywhere. If you use earth as
your construction material, it should be composed of approximately 70 percent
sand and 30 percent clay; most of the dirt in most parts of the world is
appropriate for building. There are many different methods of constructing with
earth. Cob is a simple, labor-intensive method of building with earth: simply
mix the earth with straw and water and then take handfuls of the mixture and
pile them on top of each other by hand to create your structure. Building with
adobe is similar; you mix the earth with water and then form it into bricks
which you can stack to create a building. Rammed earth uses the s ame mixture
of clay and water, but instead of piling or stacking, you compress or tamp the
earth into place. In modern buildings, rammed earth is made with machines. All
earth buildings are very durable; if constructed properly, they can last for
thousands of years. They can also easily be built to be highly energy efficient
since earth has such a high thermal mass.

Straw bale is another cheap
natural material that can form the basic construction material for a natural,
green home. In this method, bales of straw form the bulk of the walls inside a
standard wood frame. This creates excellent insulation and is quick and easy to
construct. However, the straw needs to be plastered over to prevent moisture or
pests from getting into it, and because this is a specialized skill, it can be
expensive to have a straw bale house finished.

You can also build a house
out of recycled materials. Michael Reynolds of Earthship Biotecture invented
the concept of "earthships," which are houses built out of used tires
and aluminum cans on wood frames.

When choosing materials for
your green passive solar home construction, look for something that is locally available.
This will make your cost of materials cheaper as well as more ecologically
sustainable.

Do the Work Yourself

Many ecologicallysustainable constructions are more labor-intensive than they are skill-intensive.
Even for a house that requires special skills, such as a straw bale house, you
can save money by doing much of the labor yourself. By acting as general
contractor for your home, you can not only save money, you can also be truly
involved in a hands-on way in the planning and design of your home. Traditional
cob building, for example, involves mixing the earth and straw with bare feet
and then piling the cobs by hand. This might sound like a tedious process, but
when done together with a group of friends or family who all participate in the
design of the home as well as its construction, it can be a fun and exciting
project.

Build for Efficiency and
Sustainability

As you are designing your green passive solar home, plan to save money in the long-term as well as in the immediate
construction costs. With sufficient thermal mass and insulation, you can design
for passive solar heating and cooling, which will mean that your home will stay
the same temperature year-round without needing electricity or air
conditioning. You can also save on utility costs by including features such as
a root cellar for storing food without refrigeration and a gray water recycling
system to reuse water for multiple purposes. Consider the long-term durability
of your construction; by building with durable materials, you will save money
on maintenance over time.